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BVN: UNHCR, AUN train 11,652 IDPs

BVN: UNHCR, AUN train 11,652 IDPs

By Ndahi Marama Maiduguri— The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, has, in partnership with American University of Nigeria, AUN, trained about 11,652 people, mostly returnee internally-displaced persons, IDPs, in the North-East states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, between January and November. This is even as UNHCR, in collaboration with Borno State government and National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, presented empowerment packages and cash donation of N60 million to 800 graduands IDPs, returnees and those living in host communities in cooperatives of 10 highly-affected local government areas of Borno as livelihood interventions. Head of Field Officer, UNHCR, Mr. Cesar Tshilombo, disclosed this while welcoming the beneficiaries and participants during the graduation and presentation of starter kits ceremony in Maiduguri, Borno State, yesterday. In his vote of thanks, Borno State government, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Administration, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Dr. Abubakar Hassan, on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked UNHCR, AUN and other humanitarian agencies in managing the plights of IDPs in the state. He said the gesture will go a long way in repositioning displaced victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the region, adding that government was doing everything possible in its reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement move of millions of IDPs.

N17B Pension fraud: How Buhari shunned Maina in Dubai

…What suspect told AGF, NSA about pension syndicate and his expertise …What suspect told AGF, NSA about pension syndicate and his expertise …My office has already recovered N260m from firm linked to ex-pension boss — Malami …Jonathan didn’t receive payments from pension fund – Ex-President’s aide Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor Fresh facts emerged, yesterday, that wanted ex-Presidential Pension Reform Task Team Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, had sought audience with President Muhammadu Buhari in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, in January last year, in order to appeal for his resinstatement into the civil service, but was shunned by Mr. President.

Maina, who had been hiding in Dubai since 2013, turned to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who was part of the presidential visit to the Middle East, to explain his predicament and seek his support in being recalled but was initially rebuffed. However, due to mounting pressure from Maina, Malami sought and got security clearance from the Director of the Department of State Service to meet with Maina in the presence of the National Security Adviser. Sunday Vanguard learnt that through the meeting, Maina was able to convince Malami and other government officials that he had a dossier on top government functionaries, who had been stealing at least N3.3 billion monthly by adding 33,000 ghost pensioners to the payroll. Malami confirmed in a mail to Sunday Vanguard that he reluctantly met with Malami in the presence of the NSA, Brigadier-General Babagana Monguno (rtd), as a witness, since he did not have any interest in the matter and had no prior relationship with Maina. This represents part of what the AGF presented to the Senator Emmanuel Paulker-led Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, currently probing his role in the recall and resinstatement of Maina, which has sparked public outrage and forced Buhari to order his second sack. Malami, in a document obtained by Sunday Vanguard last night, said: “When Maina met with us, he narrated his ordeals, exploits, expertise, experience and mastery of act of asset tracking and recovery as well as his outstanding performance at the PTT where he claimed to have assisted the past administration recover and/or block financial leakages running into billions of naira, and also he assured us that he would leverage on his past experiences and track records to assist the FGN trace, track and recover funds as well as block bureaucratic systems he technically referred to as ‘budget lifting’, ‘splurging’ and ‘financial engineering’ with a view to cutting down the costs of running government. He requested for review of his cases pending in court and in return offered useful information on the workings of the pension syndicate which I found very useful in preparing new cases against the pension syndicate and consolidating on the existing ones. “Upon review of the correspondences and the afore-referenced court orders, the OHAGF formed an opinion founded on the interest of justice and public interest and subsequently wrote the FCSC for an update on the status of Mr. Maina’s employment vide a letter dated 19thJanuary, 2017. “Upon community review of the various documents, letters and numerous orders of Courts granted in favour of Mr. Maina in (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/65/13; Suit No: M/62/16 and Suit No: CV/1776/14, all of which remain unappealled, the OHAGF, guided by public interest and conscience, considered the need to call for a review of the three decided but unappealled civil suits, one of which had attracted debt burden to the FGN, specifically Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/65/13 and the then pending Suit No: NICN/ABJ/68/02013 – Abdulrasheed Maina Vs. The Head of the Federal Civil Service of the Federation, Federal Civil Service Commission, Ministry of Interior and the Attorney General of the Federation which had the propensity to attract to the FGN huge damages of N2.5 billion being the claim of the applicant, if court eventually finds in his favour). “I was also motivated by the extended support provided by Maina, which will assist me in preparing charges against the members of the syndicate and recovering the proceeds of recoveries in addition to unravelling the compromises in the pending pension. “This was so because the HAGF never attempted and did not STOP, BAR, INFLUENCE or PREVENT the FCSC or any other authority from independently exercising its discretion/powers in accordance with its laid down rules which discretion/powers include powers to review or reverse its decision on appointment or discipline. Letters to Federal Civil Service Commission sent in good faith “The letters from the OHAGF to the FCSC were in good faith and addressed to the relevant authority for its objective consideration and necessary action solely in the interest of justice and public interest. The said authorities were MERELY advised to take necessary steps at its own terms as it may deem fit towards giving effect to the unappealled court orders voiding and quashing a warrant of arrest which laid a fertile foundation for issuance of query and eventual dismissal of the public officer. “The OHAGF did not attempt, never attempted or played any role and did not, in any way, PARTAKE, PARTICIPATE, CONSTITUTE or INFLUENCE in the convening, composition, deliberation, recommendation, decision and action of the FCSC, OHCSF and the Senior Staff Committee (SSC) of the Ministry of Interior or any other authority that reviewed the case of the Public Officer and found him worthy of reinstatement in line with their respective established rules, processes and procedures. My letter to FCSC not immunity for Maina “A fundamental point of interest arising from the advice of the OHAGF driven from factual and documentary evidence on the reinstatement of Maina is that it is not a shield for the office or an immunity from prosecution as the OHAGF owes it a public duty to render requisite advice whenever the interest of justice and public interest so dictate. My office recovered N260 m from firm linked to Maina for FG “To demonstrate that my action was as a product of public interest, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation has had course to issue a letter of instruction dated 12 October 2016, in favour of Merss M.E Sherrif & Co. for recovery of N260m against AMD Global Resources Ltd which by the investigation is linked to Maina and the amount is recovered and the lawyers were paid their recovery fees”. Jonathan didn’t receive payments from Pension Fund – Ex-President’s aide Meanwhile, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, Media adviser to the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has dissociated his principal from allegations which accused an ‘Ex-President’ of being paid N5 billion monthly from the Pension Fund. He described such claims as ungodly. The claim credited to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as published by a national daily, alleged that the chief legal officer to the federation was equally alleged to have told a Senate ad-hoc committee that an “Ex-President was taking N5 billion monthly from the Pension Fund.” In debunking the claim, Eze dismissed it as “a blatant lie hurriedly cooked up to divert the attention of the general public from the raging ‘Mainagate’ and other embarrassing scandals.” In a statement issued yesterday ex-President Jonathan’s spokesman said: “We will simply challenge the Senate Committee to demand from those who fabricated the spurious claims that N5 billion was collected monthly from the Pension Fund by ‘an Ex-President’ to give more details and produce evidence of how these transactions were made. They should be able to establish whether the monthly payment of N5 billion to ‘an ex-President’ was made by cash or through bank transfers, in which case they should name the banks involved. We advise that this matter should not be allowed to go the way of similar ones that have been swept under the carpet. “Nigerians have not forgotten that the same forces initially claimed that it was Jonathan’s men that quietly brought back Maina from exile and reinstated him in office under the Buhari administration. “Again, we restate our position that we very much doubt if AGF Malami really said what was reported because if he did, he would be placing his integrity and that of his office in a difficult position”.

Anambara Election: voters trade vote for cash read more

The governorship election in Anambra State passed off yesterday with minimal violence albeit multiple reports of voters trading their votes for cash as the major political parties sought to best one another for control of the commercial and industrial epicentre of Nigeria’s South-east. Voters being screened at Aguleri, during the Governorship Election on Saturday The ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, was, last night, said to be doing well in early results in the face of strong but a divided opposition mounted by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as early returns showed the party to be acquitting itself across the state. The PDP was also faced with internal strife upon accounts of internal dissent as prominent chieftains worked against the party’s standard bearer. There were allegations of election fraud made by some of the parties in the election that witnessed much apathy in the urban areas. There was, however, good turnout in the rural areas. Some of Anambra’s leading politicians, nevertheless, acquitted themselves by delivering their polling units for their preferred candidates. Early results Early results showed the incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA; Dr. Tony Nwoye, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Mr. Oseloka Obaze, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, pulling away from the crowd of 37 candidates who stood in the most contested governorship election in the country’s history. Sentiments towards the late Biafran leader, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, prevailed in his Umudim Central School polling unit despite the defection of his son, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu Jnr., to the APC last Wednesday. Results from the three polling units in the primary school saw APGA winning with 261 votes, APC scored 98 and PDP 80. Emeka Ojukwu Jnr was absent at the polling unit, but Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the late Biafran leader, stood firm with a vow to sit through to the end of the election. Posters of the APC candidate, Nwoye; his running mate, Ikedife, with Ojukwu’s picture inserted, littered the frontage of the Ojukwu family house in Nnewi. A former National Chairman of APGA and Obiano’s campaign manager, Chief Victor Umeh, won his polling unit at Uzuanunu in Aguluzoigbo ward by 68 votes with APC scoring 8, PDP 1. Umeh said he expected the votes margin to be wider in the rest polling units. “We insist the INEC should maintain what happened here in the day time to also take place at night when the rest of the results will be collected,” the campaign manager said. He commended INEC and security agents for maintaining peace, adding that the election went well except the initial hitch when few card readers malfunctioned but were resolved. At Ekwueme Hall polling unit of Ukpo, Dunukofia LGA, home of Prince Arthur Eze, a patron of the APC candidate, the results showed APC scored 409 votes, APGA 102 and PDP 15. The Minister for Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, also delivered his Nkwoide Ward 1 to his party with APC scoring 152, APGA 68 and PDP 22. The PDP candidate, Oseloka Obaze, swept the votes in his Ward 6, PU 001 polling unit, scoring 370 votes with APGA 11, APC 5 and UPP 1. There was, however, apathy to the election in urban areas of the state, notably, Onitsha and Nnewi. Voters, in some cases, took to playing and, where not, watching children play football in open places. At the Urban Girls Secondary School, Fegge, Onitsha, an electoral official, George Chukwuma, in Ward 5 Unit 012, said that out of 628 registered voters, only 61 persons voted. Also in Ward 5 Unit 011, the presiding officer, Obodo Jester, said 74 persons voted out of a total of 616 registered voters. Sorting and collation of the final result from the 21 local government areas of the state were proceeding last night at the different local government area collation centres. Voting began early in most polling units across Anambra and except for a minor incident recorded at Nsugbe, the hometown of Nwoye, the APC governorship candidate, where a man disrupted voting and was arrested by the police. The apathy in the urban areas was blamed on the fact that many of those resident there registered in rural communities or outside the state. Obiano voted at about 9.27 a.m. while Nwoye voted at about 1.pm. Obaze voted about one hour later. Addressing reporters after casting his vote, the APGA candidate and incumbent governor commended INEC and security agencies for ensuring that the exercise went on smoothly. Obaze, who also spoke after casting his vote, said although there were reports of apathy in many places, INEC should be commended for conducting a peaceful exercise. Claims, counter-claims Nwoye, after casting his vote at Ofanta village square polling unit 002, Nsugbe Ward 1, accused security agents of collaborating with APGA even as he expressed confidence that he would win the election. The APC candidate spoke of reports of violence in Abatete and Ikem Nando in Anambra West local government area. “I wonder the interest of the Nigeria Police and the military in this election. Before the election, Obiano was crying, alleging that other parties had plans to rig the election. But it has turned out that he is the person using the police and military for terror”. Ngige also accused APGA of election fraud in APC strongholds like Idemili North, Idemili South, and Ogbaru local government areas and threatened that the party would ask for a re-run if nothing was done to correct the anomalies. The claims were dismissed by Umeh, the APGA candidate campaign manager, who described the allegations as baseless and unfounded. Most people waited patiently after voting until the votes were counted and, in many places, the results pasted on the walls. Unlike situations in the past, there were no incidents of ballot box snatching or firing of guns anywhere. There were, however, widespread reports of vote-buying with the three major parties outbidding one another for votes with money ranging from N500 to N5,000 depending on the location. The scramble for money, however, spilled into pandemonium at Enem Hall, Otolo Nnewi ward II, Nnewi North local government area at about 2 p.m. when four gunmen allegedly pulled their guns and started shooting sporadically while voting was ongoing at about 2 pm. Sunday Vanguard learned that the incidence arose when a prominent Nnewi politician stormed the polling unit and threw money at voters as he was about leaving. It was at that point that the four young boys emerged from the crowd and pulled their pistols, picked the money and ran into a nearby bush, a development that caused chaos. At Obi Okpuneze Uruagu Ward, a voter complained that ballot box 0017 was missing from the materials sent to the polling unit at about 11:30 am, and voters there insisted that they will not vote until the ballot box was returned. Commenting on the election, Bianca Ojukwu, who voted at St Stephen Ward 2, Umudim, commended the process as free and fair. The late Ojukwu’s widow also lauded Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, officials for their professional conduct, even as she regretted that the turnout was low. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Innosons Group, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, also commended the INEC for a peaceful election and appealed to the people to conduct themselves peacefully. Soldiers arrest seven in Onitsha Meanwhile, troops of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, deployed as back up to the police and other security agencies tasked with ensuring a hitch-free governorship election, arrested seven thugs for attempting to disrupt voting in Okpoko, Onitsha South local government area. Security sources told Sunday Vanguard that with the arrest of the thugs, and adequate deployment of security agencies, threats from groups like IPOB and MASSOB warning residents against coming out to cast their votes were nipped in the bud. Consequently, Anambra residents came out to vote for their next governor. The sources said the strict adherence of the security agencies was not unconnected to the warning given by the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Major General Adamu Abubakar, on Friday night, when he silently entered Onitsha and held a meeting with Service Commanders on the need to keep to their assigned roles.

Anambara Election: voters trade vote for cash read more

The governorship election in Anambra State passed off yesterday with minimal violence albeit multiple reports of voters trading their votes for cash as the major political parties sought to best one another for control of the commercial and industrial epicentre of Nigeria’s South-east. Voters being screened at Aguleri, during the Governorship Election on Saturday The ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, was, last night, said to be doing well in early results in the face of strong but a divided opposition mounted by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as early returns showed the party to be acquitting itself across the state. The PDP was also faced with internal strife upon accounts of internal dissent as prominent chieftains worked against the party’s standard bearer. There were allegations of election fraud made by some of the parties in the election that witnessed much apathy in the urban areas. There was, however, good turnout in the rural areas. Some of Anambra’s leading politicians, nevertheless, acquitted themselves by delivering their polling units for their preferred candidates. Early results Early results showed the incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA; Dr. Tony Nwoye, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Mr. Oseloka Obaze, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, pulling away from the crowd of 37 candidates who stood in the most contested governorship election in the country’s history. Sentiments towards the late Biafran leader, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, prevailed in his Umudim Central School polling unit despite the defection of his son, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu Jnr., to the APC last Wednesday. Results from the three polling units in the primary school saw APGA winning with 261 votes, APC scored 98 and PDP 80. Emeka Ojukwu Jnr was absent at the polling unit, but Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the late Biafran leader, stood firm with a vow to sit through to the end of the election. Posters of the APC candidate, Nwoye; his running mate, Ikedife, with Ojukwu’s picture inserted, littered the frontage of the Ojukwu family house in Nnewi. A former National Chairman of APGA and Obiano’s campaign manager, Chief Victor Umeh, won his polling unit at Uzuanunu in Aguluzoigbo ward by 68 votes with APC scoring 8, PDP 1. Umeh said he expected the votes margin to be wider in the rest polling units. “We insist the INEC should maintain what happened here in the day time to also take place at night when the rest of the results will be collected,” the campaign manager said. He commended INEC and security agents for maintaining peace, adding that the election went well except the initial hitch when few card readers malfunctioned but were resolved. At Ekwueme Hall polling unit of Ukpo, Dunukofia LGA, home of Prince Arthur Eze, a patron of the APC candidate, the results showed APC scored 409 votes, APGA 102 and PDP 15. The Minister for Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, also delivered his Nkwoide Ward 1 to his party with APC scoring 152, APGA 68 and PDP 22. The PDP candidate, Oseloka Obaze, swept the votes in his Ward 6, PU 001 polling unit, scoring 370 votes with APGA 11, APC 5 and UPP 1. There was, however, apathy to the election in urban areas of the state, notably, Onitsha and Nnewi. Voters, in some cases, took to playing and, where not, watching children play football in open places. At the Urban Girls Secondary School, Fegge, Onitsha, an electoral official, George Chukwuma, in Ward 5 Unit 012, said that out of 628 registered voters, only 61 persons voted. Also in Ward 5 Unit 011, the presiding officer, Obodo Jester, said 74 persons voted out of a total of 616 registered voters. Sorting and collation of the final result from the 21 local government areas of the state were proceeding last night at the different local government area collation centres. Voting began early in most polling units across Anambra and except for a minor incident recorded at Nsugbe, the hometown of Nwoye, the APC governorship candidate, where a man disrupted voting and was arrested by the police. The apathy in the urban areas was blamed on the fact that many of those resident there registered in rural communities or outside the state. Obiano voted at about 9.27 a.m. while Nwoye voted at about 1.pm. Obaze voted about one hour later. Addressing reporters after casting his vote, the APGA candidate and incumbent governor commended INEC and security agencies for ensuring that the exercise went on smoothly. Obaze, who also spoke after casting his vote, said although there were reports of apathy in many places, INEC should be commended for conducting a peaceful exercise. Claims, counter-claims Nwoye, after casting his vote at Ofanta village square polling unit 002, Nsugbe Ward 1, accused security agents of collaborating with APGA even as he expressed confidence that he would win the election. The APC candidate spoke of reports of violence in Abatete and Ikem Nando in Anambra West local government area. “I wonder the interest of the Nigeria Police and the military in this election. Before the election, Obiano was crying, alleging that other parties had plans to rig the election. But it has turned out that he is the person using the police and military for terror”. Ngige also accused APGA of election fraud in APC strongholds like Idemili North, Idemili South, and Ogbaru local government areas and threatened that the party would ask for a re-run if nothing was done to correct the anomalies. The claims were dismissed by Umeh, the APGA candidate campaign manager, who described the allegations as baseless and unfounded. Most people waited patiently after voting until the votes were counted and, in many places, the results pasted on the walls. Unlike situations in the past, there were no incidents of ballot box snatching or firing of guns anywhere. There were, however, widespread reports of vote-buying with the three major parties outbidding one another for votes with money ranging from N500 to N5,000 depending on the location. The scramble for money, however, spilled into pandemonium at Enem Hall, Otolo Nnewi ward II, Nnewi North local government area at about 2 p.m. when four gunmen allegedly pulled their guns and started shooting sporadically while voting was ongoing at about 2 pm. Sunday Vanguard learned that the incidence arose when a prominent Nnewi politician stormed the polling unit and threw money at voters as he was about leaving. It was at that point that the four young boys emerged from the crowd and pulled their pistols, picked the money and ran into a nearby bush, a development that caused chaos. At Obi Okpuneze Uruagu Ward, a voter complained that ballot box 0017 was missing from the materials sent to the polling unit at about 11:30 am, and voters there insisted that they will not vote until the ballot box was returned. Commenting on the election, Bianca Ojukwu, who voted at St Stephen Ward 2, Umudim, commended the process as free and fair. The late Ojukwu’s widow also lauded Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, officials for their professional conduct, even as she regretted that the turnout was low. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Innosons Group, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, also commended the INEC for a peaceful election and appealed to the people to conduct themselves peacefully. Soldiers arrest seven in Onitsha Meanwhile, troops of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, deployed as back up to the police and other security agencies tasked with ensuring a hitch-free governorship election, arrested seven thugs for attempting to disrupt voting in Okpoko, Onitsha South local government area. Security sources told Sunday Vanguard that with the arrest of the thugs, and adequate deployment of security agencies, threats from groups like IPOB and MASSOB warning residents against coming out to cast their votes were nipped in the bud. Consequently, Anambra residents came out to vote for their next governor. The sources said the strict adherence of the security agencies was not unconnected to the warning given by the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Major General Adamu Abubakar, on Friday night, when he silently entered Onitsha and held a meeting with Service Commanders on the need to keep to their assigned roles.